Some time ago I suggested that the much discussed "bridging" of the divide was actually more like its replication on more local levels. Others have pointed out that the digital divide emerges along lines of older socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic divides. So this news doesn't come as much of a revelation.
As the technology rapidly evolves for many on one side of the divide, we now hear the metaphors of deepening or widening divide. Two thoughts. First is that "intermediate divides" (for lack of a better term) have emerged, for instance where some older computers and operating systems are used (in this case such systems sometimes cannot handle unicode and some kinds of graphics). This may be an ongoing issue as older equipment and software gets donated from those able to adopt the newest technologies. The suggestion I see emerging from the above trends is that the divide is becoming a lot more like digital divides (plural; fragmentation or even archipelago are possible metaphors). Not that this should be news to most on this list, but reference to "the" digital divide widening misses the complexity. The second thought is that, given the rapid advances in technology and relative stagnation for the poorest, it is worth keeping in mind how the most advanced technologies may actually be among the most logical ones for the least well off, however counterintuitive that may seem. For instance: uses of audio such as speech-to-text & text-to-speech; machine translation; GIS; and mobile technology... The poorest are of course not able to accesss, let alone afford these, and for certain technologies direct use may not be feasible for various reasons, so some adaptations are necessary (in the case of GIS, for example, methodologies are being developed and applied to use it with poor rural communities). Don Osborn Bisharat.net Quoting Karl vonWerther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > *Digital divide deepens in developing > world<http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2361&language=1> > * > World leaders warn that the 'digital divide' between rich and poor is > widening both within developing countries and between them and the > industrialised world. > Link to full news story in Inter Press Service News > Agency<http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=30263> > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
